Fast Track Memo

Request for Approval under the “Voluntary Partner Surveys to Implement Executive Order 12862 (OMB Control Number: 0915-0212)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) Usability Survey

PURPOSE: The purpose of this data collection effort is to ensure that the NPDB system and any future enhancements are user-friendly. Data obtained from this effort will be used by the Division of Practitioner Data Bank (DPDB) and its contractor(s) to identify strengths and weaknesses in the NPDB system and to identify issues that need to be remedied to allow for ease of use. DPDB or its contractor(s) will solicit voluntary participation among current or prospective NPDB users in usability testing. Data gathered from the usability surveys will be used only for internal purposes; no data will be disseminated outside DPDB or the Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA).

If this data is not collected, DPDB will have no knowledge of how user-friendly the NPDB system is for its customers, will not be able to effectively minimize user burdens and facilitate compliance, and will not be able to determine the return on investment to implement enhancements to the system. Collecting usability information will allow DPDB to continually enhance the system so that all NPDB users can utilize the system with ease, which will increase overall use and, thus, the value of the NPDB to the U.S. health care system.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS: NPDB system users.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form [ ] Customer Satisfaction Survey

[X] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software) [ ] Small Discussion Group

[ ] Focus Group [ ] Other:

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collection is voluntary.

2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.

3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.

4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.

5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions.

6. The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the future.

Name: David Loewenstein, Director

To assist review, please provide answers to the following question:

Personally Identifiable Information:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ ] Yes [X] No

2. If yes, will any information that is collected be included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [ ] No

3. If yes, has an up-to-date System of Records Notice (SORN) been published? [ ] Yes [ ] No

Gifts or Payments:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? [ ] Yes [X] No

BURDEN HOURS

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden Hours Total
Usability Testing - NPDB	200	1 hour	200

FEDERAL COST:

The estimated annual cost to the federal government is $122,336.20, which includes:

• Contract Support Costs - $115,236.90

  • User Experience Designer ($134.78) x 855 hrs/12-month period = $115,236.90

• DPDB Staff Costs - $6,818.90

  • GS-14 level ($63.43/hr) x 30 hrs/12-month period = $1,902.90

  • GS-13 level ($53.67/hr) x 80 hrs/12-month period = $4,293.60

  • GS-12 level ($45.14/hr) x 20 hrs/12-month period= $902.80

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents

1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe? [ ] Yes [X] No

If the answer is yes, please provide a description of both below (or attach the sampling plan)? If the answer is no, please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them?

Respondents will be solicited via phone or email from current or prospective NPDB users. Respondents may participate in more than one usability test during a 12-month period; however, each test is a unique response and is counted as such.

Administration of the Instrument

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[X] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[X] Telephone

[ ] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [ X] Yes [ ] No

Please make sure that all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the request.